London Ambulance Service and TfL joint planning

Onkar Sahota: How do London Ambulance Service and TfL work together to reduce the impact of roadworks on ambulance response times?

The Mayor: The London Ambulance Service work closely with TfL when roadworks on their network may have an impact on service delivery. When such roadworks are planned the London Ambulance Service are consulted by TfL and if they have any concerns that the work will have an impact on the delivery of services they share these directly with TfL
I meet quarterly with the leadership of the London Ambulance Service and we continually discuss ways that the Service and the whole GLA group can work together for our mutual benefit and the benefit of Londoners.

Approaching winter pressures 2019-20

Onkar Sahota: What steps are you taking to support the NHS to prepare for what the CQC have warned will be a difficult winter?

The Mayor: Although I have no powers over health and care services, I have pledged to both champion and challenge the NHS. I particularly champion our frontline NHS staff who work tirelessly all year round, including during the traditionally most demanding winter months, and I challenge the NHS to ensure Londoners get the best possible services. At our most recent meeting Sir David Sloman, the NHS Regional Director for London, gave me his reassurances about the comprehensive winter planning the NHS has done this year, building on learning from previous years, including recent reviews of STP level plans.
Cold weather and seasonally-related illnesses increase pressures on the health system. Every year I have a ‘flu jab and use it to promote vaccination, encouraging others in key groups to get vaccinated. We are leading by example and, working with the NHS I have again this year offered free ‘flu jabs to GLA staff.

Warmer homes and hospital admissions

Onkar Sahota: The Health Inequalities Strategy notes the potential benefits of warmer homes in reducing emergency hospital admissions and improving discharge times. What evaluation of your fuel costs support schemes have you made in this respect?

The Mayor: We know that the vast proportion of those who are in receipt of our Warmer Homes (81per cent) and Warmer Homes Advice Service (73 per cent) have self-reported health conditions or disabilities. Our evaluation of these schemes is unable to establish if the schemes reduce emergency hospital admissions and improve discharge times. This is due to the individual NHS data access required, scale of sample needed, lengthy follow up time required and cost to such a piece of research. We will continue to work closely with NHS colleagues to promote our fuel poverty programmes and to understand their impact.

St George’s Hornchurch update

Onkar Sahota: Have your officers now reviewed the St George’s site in light of the six tests as noted in answer 2019/17769, and if not, when will this be done?

The Mayor: My officers are in ongoing discussions with the NHS team leading the development of the St George’s (NEL) site to understand the proposals for the new healthcare facility, the implications for wider healthcare services in the area and the process and timing for any public consultation. I will then consider the application of the six tests.

Health Inequality Strategy

Onkar Sahota: In accordance with the Mayor’s Health Inequality Strategy, can the Mayor give details on how he has ensured Londoners have access to green spaces and addressed health inequality associated with access to green spaces?

The Mayor: Through the London Environment Strategy and the London Plan I have set a policy framework to ensure that London’s parks and green spaces are protected and managed to provide a range of benefits including improving public health and reducing health inequalities. My London Plan promotes the creation of new areas of publicly-accessible green space including pocket parks. I support greening of the built environment through TfL’s Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, the Healthy Streets Approach and the Greener City Fund, ensuring that those Londoners who do not have easy access to local parks benefit from living in a greener city.
I am also working with the National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund to pilot a future parks programme in Camden and Islington to make their parks and green spaces focal points for improving people’s health. The learning from this project will be shared through the London Green Spaces Commission that I established to assist boroughs in developing new models for manging and resourcing their parks services.
My health advisor Dr Tom Coffey, appeared at the Health Committee on the 6 November, to discuss green spaces and health inequalities with members.

TfL fares freeze (2)

Gareth Bacon: In the event of a second TfL fares freeze in the next mayoral term, what savings will TfL have to make and where from?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question2019/19964.

TfL fares freeze (1)

Gareth Bacon: What would be the total cumulative cost, in terms of lost revenue, of a second TfL fares freeze in the next mayoral term?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question 2019/19964.

Super healthy zones

Onkar Sahota: Please provide a list of all the super healthy zones in London and when they were established.

The Mayor: Thirteen London boroughs commenced School Superzone pilots in July 2018: Camden, Croydon, Enfield, Greenwich, Haringey, Harrow, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. We are working with partners on the Prevention Board to reflect on learning from the pilots and consider how we can support the development of School Superzones in the future.

Wrap Around Clubs at schools

Jennette Arnold: How many schools taking part in the Healthy Schools London programme provide a) breakfast clubs etc, b) after school care, and c) both?

The Mayor: There are 2146 schools taking part in the Healthy Schools London programme representing 84% of all London schools. Many of these schools do offer breakfast clubs and after school care, however this information is not collected as part of the Healthy Schools London programme. In order to achieve a HSL Bronze Award, schools must provide pupils with food that meets the food-based standards for school lunches and school food other than lunches which includes breakfast clubs if they are offered. The Healthy Schools London programme provides support to schools and Local Authority Healthy Schools Leads about how to establish and run healthy breakfast clubs and after school club with signposting to resources, case studies and inspirational films on the HSL website.
Funding for new Breakfast Clubs was made available through the Department for Education’s Healthy Pupil Capital Fund in 2018, however no clear data has been released about the number of schools that benefitted.

Thrive LDN costs

Onkar Sahota: How much has been spent on Thrive LDN in each year of its operation to date?

The Mayor: Thrive LDN is supported by the Mayor of London but also receives financial and in-kind support from NHSE England and all London Clinical Commissioning Groups, Public Health England, London Councils and some London local authorities.
Funding for Thrive LDN from the Greater London Authority accounted for:
In addition, my Young Londoners Fund has invested £1.5m in Youth Mental Health First Aid training over three years (2017/18 to 2019/20). The training programme is delivered by Thrive LDN.

Improving access to healthy start vouchers

Onkar Sahota: What steps has your office taken to improve take-up and usability of health start vouchers?

The Mayor: In my London Food Strategy, I committed to work with partners to support an increase in the uptake of Healthy Start Vouchers to 80 per centof eligibility. GLA officers have worked with my London Food Board to establish a Healthy Start working group, host workshops with frontline professionals and called for the Government to deliver on its promise for a consultation on the scheme. With Sustain, I am also funding five local authorities to develop Good Food Retail Plans to improve access to fresh, healthy, affordable food and Healthy Start vouchers.
Nearly 200 Healthy Early Years London Bronze Award settings have demonstrated how they promote Healthy Start Vouchers and vitamins. Through induction and integrated reviews, parents and carers are asked if they use the Healthy Start scheme and are given information about where to get vitamins or food vouchers.

Thrive LDN reach

Onkar Sahota: How many Londoners have participated in Thrive LDN activities?

The Mayor: Due to the limitations of available monitoring methods, it is impossible to quantify exactly the total number of Londoners who have participated in Thrive LDN. We know that the 2017 campaign generated over 420,000 interactions and 2018 saw even greater active engagement across the city. During 2018/19 Thrive LDN published the Londoners Said report, the analysis of direct community conversations with more than 1,000 Londoners and trained more than 1,000 education staff across London in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Most recently, Thrive LDN was a partner for Creativity and Wellbeing Week this October which included more than 200 events in London attended by over 18,000 people, whilst recent events to coincide with World Mental Health Day were attended by over 850 people. Full findings for 2019/20 will be shared at the London Health Board meeting in January 2020.
Our #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign has already achieved a third of its target to train 100,000 Londoners in suicide prevention awareness.

Strategy Consultation (2)

Susan Hall: Can you list the charitable and third sector groups you consulted when producing your Health Inequalities Strategy?

The Mayor: The Health Inequalities Strategy (HIS) Consultation Response Report, published alongside the HIS (available on the GLA website), outlines in detail the approach taken. During the 15-week consultation period we held face-to-face events with stakeholders, including specifically organisations in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. The approach to VCSE engagement is outlined in Appendix 3 of the Report, and a list of organisations who provided written responses to the HIS is at Appendix 4. VCSE organisations made up the largest number of responses (by stakeholder group).
Further, there has been, and continues to be, considerable public and VCSE engagement and partnership work on specific areas of the HIS. For example, the approach to social prescribing.

Londoner’s mental wellbeing

Fiona Twycross: Recent data from the ONS found that Lambeth, Hackney, Islington and Camden recorded among the lowest ratings for “positive” feelings such as happiness and life satisfaction and some of the worst scores for the “negative” measure of anxiety. How is Thrive London supporting residents in these boroughs?

The Mayor: Thrive LDN has been working in partnership on various citywide and local activities to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all Londoners. Community conversations held in Lambeth, Hackney, Islington and Camden fed into the citywide Londoners Said report published last year.
In partnership with Brixton Reel, Thrive LDN has hosted several open events for intersectional communities who experience greater levels of poor mental health across London, including events in Hackney, Islington and Camden.
Over 100 Londoners have been trained as Youth Mental Health First Aid instructors, delivering training to more than 1,000 education staff across London. This has included 33 staff in Lambeth, 57 in Hackney and 10 in Islington and Camden.
In addition to this Young London Inspired, delivered in partnership with Team London, grant funds organisations that support young Londoners more at risk of developing poor mental health to take part in volunteering and social action. The programme has awarded funds to eight organisations working in Camden, Hackney, Islington and Lambeth.

TfL fares freeze (4)

Gareth Bacon: What financial modelling has TfL done on the continuation of the current TfL fares freeze and what will it look like each year from 2020/21-2023/24?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question 2019/20244

TfL fares freeze (3)

Gareth Bacon: In the event of a second TfL fares freeze in the next mayoral term, what would be the implications on the next TfL business plan?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s 2018 Business Plan assumes that, from January 2021 onwards, fares could broadly rise by RPI+1, which is the scenario for which passenger number and passenger income have been modelled. This, however, is just an assumption. I set fares on an annual basis and any future fares plans would need to be confirmed and modelled in future business plans.

Thrive LDN evaluation

Onkar Sahota: What evaluation has been done of the effects of Thrive LDN?

The Mayor: Thrive LDN is committed to ongoing evaluation, and collects insights, data and monitoring information on all activities and participation. This data and intelligence is used to assure quality, drive improvement and inform decision-making. All existing evaluation reports are publicly available on the Thrive LDN website.
Where possible, external evaluation has been built into commissioning arrangements for activities. For example, this applies to the Youth Mental Health First Aid which is being evaluated by UCL Partners.
As part of Thrive LDN’s commitment to research and learning, a process evaluation framework is currently underway, supported by academic partners and the Thrive LDN Advisory Group, with the aim to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the Thrive LDN approach.
The latest findings will be shared at the London Health Board meeting in January 2020. This report will present the insights on the benefits of Thrive LDN to Londoners and the London health and care system.

TfL fares freeze (5)

Gareth Bacon: What financial contingency plans have TfL drawn up in the event that the TfL fares freeze is applied post-May 2020?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question 2019/20244

TfL fares freeze (6)

Gareth Bacon: Have you received any briefing (either written or verbal) from TfL on the financial implications of a second fares freeze? If so, what did it conclude?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question 2019/20244

The Mayor: As a follow up to my previous answer, I have not received any briefings from Transport for London on the financial implications of a second fares freeze.